


Third Wheel

by mosylu



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Pokemon GO - Freeform, meeting online
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 21:05:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12066966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mosylu/pseuds/mosylu
Summary: Cisco finally has the chance to meet his Pokemon Go buddy/mortal nemesis, IceQueen27, in real life.Just please let her not be a 45-year-old white dude named Chuck.





	Third Wheel

**Author's Note:**

> written for the Tumblr prompt, "meeting online AU" 
> 
> I have something to confess - I am old. I know nothing of the Snapchats or the Instagrams. But I do obsessively play a game that hit its peak a year ago. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“You know nobody plays that anymore,” Barry said as they trekked toward the Starbucks on the northwest corner of campus.

“Shut up,” Cisco said, drifting off to the left until he balanced on the very edge of the curb. “People play.” He held his phone out, trying to get in range of the Pokestop across the road. Yes! Success. Oooo, and he’d gotten two Ultra Balls. He needed those.

A car zipped past, its blaring horn Dopplering off into the distance. Barry reached out and grabbed the back of his jacket, dragging him back onto the sidewalk. “Nobody I know. Besides you.”

“Look at it this way,” Cisco said. “With me along, you will definitely seem like the cooler dude.”

Barry grunted and fussed with his hair. He’d spent half an hour on it back at their dorm room. “Promise me you’re only coming to get a mochaccino,” he said for the fourth or fifth time. “Promise me you’re not gonna bust in on my date. This girl is awesome.”

“And I’m not?”

“Cisco,” Barry whined. “I just want some time alone with her.”

“I’ll stay ten steps behind you at all times,” Cisco promised. “Nobody will suspect our connection.”

Barry rolled his eyes.

“Also, if she’s horrifying, I’ll come over and pretend to punch you out for dishonoring my sister or something.”

“There’s no way Iris could be horrifying.”

“Iris might actually be a 45-year-old white man named Chuck who put up a picture of a hot black college girl on OKCupid to lure you into his clutches.”

“What would he do with me?”

“Well, shit, man, I don’t know. That’s why I’m going along to save you.” They crossed the street to the Starbucks and Cisco spun the stop, then checked the gym next door.

Barry looked over his shoulder. “A Muk? Please don’t tell me the whole reason you decided to horn in on my date is because there was a raid nearby.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Cisco said.

“Oh my god!”

“Okay, okay, and also because IceQueen27 said she might come raid.”

Barry frowned. “Wait. Is that the Mystic player who’s, like, your mortal nemesis?”

“I think mortal nemesis is kind of overstating it.”

“She keeps taking your gyms. I know because you _Wrath of Khan_ every other day.” Barry shook his fist at the heavens. “IceQueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!” He draped his arm. “Why are you so hot to meet her now? Are you going to push her into traffic?”

Cisco fiddled with his phone. “Okay, remember when the raids got added to the game and I joined Discord so I could find groups to raid with, because somebody on this sidewalk sucks and won’t play anymore?”

“Yeah?”

“She’s on there, and she’s just kind of cool and funny and - ” He shrugged. “You know.”

“So have you been - ” Barry wiggled his brows. “Raiding together?”

“Dude, we’ve still never met. We can never seem to get the same raids at the same time. We keep missing each other.”

“She still takes your gyms though.”

“Yeah, well, I take ‘em back. It works. But she sent me a DM on Discord that she was probably going to hit this raid around now, and, well, you can sometimes take a Muk solo but it usually works better with two.”

“What’ll you do if she’s a 45-year-old white man named Chuck?”

“Shake his hand and say, 'hey man, nice raiding with you!’” 

Cisco wasn’t even kidding about that, mostly. He’d be disappointed if IceQueen27 wasn’t a cute girl (or even a guy) his age, but in general the PoGo players he’d met through Discord had been pretty nice. A few assholes who trash-talked and postured, but you got that everywhere. The one time another raider had spotted his bi-pride tattoo and started homophobing out, the jerk gotten locked out of an Articuno raid with barely any discussion from the rest of the group. So that had been nice.

Barry paused on the side of the Starbucks and checked his phone. “She’s here,” he reported, looking a little faint. “Iris is here.”

“Go get 'er,” Cisco said, pretending to kick his butt. He watched as Barry went in, and gave it a few minutes before walking in the door and getting in line, keeping watch out of the corner of his eye.

So Iris was definitely not a 45-year-old white guy named Chuck. She was also fully as cute as her pictures. Cisco relaxed and ordered something sugary, hoping his own sort-of date went equally as well.

While he waited on his drink, Cisco parked himself next to a window and peered down the street where the gym was centered. It was a giant concrete bull in front of a Mexican restaurant, unfortunately just out of range of the Starbucks. Nobody was hanging around the bull that looked like they could be IceQueen27.

He opened the Discord app and sent her a DM.

_GoodVibesOnly: Hey are you gonna make it?_

The answer came almost immediately.

_IceQueen27: I’m in the area but might not be able to get away. Do you mind waiting another few minutes? I’ll know by then_

He frowned at his phone. What did she mean, she might not able to get away? Did she work around here?

_GoodVibesOnly: NBD. I’m at the Sbux so I’m waiting for my drink anyway_

_IceQueen27: I am too!_

He almost dropped his phone. He whipped his head around, searching for anyone on their own, staring at a screen -

There. Two tables away from Iris and Barry, a slender white girl, dressed in a blue sundress, scary-looking textbooks piled high in front of her, a reddish-brown rope of braid dangling over her shoulder. She had a pen between her teeth and her phone propped up on her book pile, and she was looking around too.

And holy shit, she was _really_ cute.

He dithered for a moment, then waved. She tilted her head, then got up, grabbing her phone but leaving everything else behind. She stopped by his table.

“GoodVibesOnly?” she asked him.

“That’s me. IceQueen27?” He gestured at the seat across from him, a tacit invitation to take it.

She nodded and sat down. “Caitlin,” she said, smiling at him.

“Cisco,” he said, smiling back. “So, what brings you here? Studying?”

“Sort of. I’m also here to be a rescue for my friend who’s on a first date. If he’s awful, I’m supposed to run over and remind her about our study group for our giant scary midterm.”

Cisco blinked. “Is your friend Iris?”

Her eyes went wide. “Yes!” Then they narrowed. “How did you know?”

He grinned at her. "I’m her date’s roommate. I came along to rescue Barry if Iris turned out to be an old gross white man.”

Iris laughed just then, and they both looked over. Barry looked smug and flustered and kind of thrilled at the same time, and Iris just looked delighted.

“Somehow I don’t think it’s going to be an issue,” Cisco finished cheerfully.

“It does seem to be going well,” Caitlin said more cautiously. “She’s had a string of total nightmares lately. She deserves a nice one.”

They called his name, or close to his name - “Christo? Mochaccino for Christo?” He rolled his eyes and went to get it. Coming back, he said, “So, not to rush you, but the raid’s only got like five minutes left. We’d better get in range if we want to catch it.”

At that moment, Barry got up and got in line to order drinks. Caitlin hopped up and went to say something quietly to Iris.

The other girl glanced at Cisco, raised her brows, and gave Caitlin an approving look. She made a little _shoo!_ motion with her hands.

Caitlin smiled, then rushed back to her original table and scooped the entire pile of books, notebooks, pens, and other studious paraphernalia into a backpack. Holding the edges, she came back to Cisco’s table. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Were you actually studying?” Cisco asked, holding the door open for her as she struggled to get the bag zipped.

“I’m pre-med,” she said, managing it at last. “I’m always studying.”

“Except when you’re hunting Pokemons.”

She went a little pink as they crossed the parking lot, headed for the restaurant. “Well, I get physical exercise, and fresh air, and - and it reduces stress! There was a study conducted in Japan - ”

He held up a hand. “Of all people, you don’t have to explain to me.”

“I guess not,” she said, smiling.

Just. Wow. She was so cute when she smiled.

They leaned up against the bull’s butt and pulled out their phones. “Let’s do this,” Caitlin said.

Cisco said idly, “You realize I’m gonna take this gym for Valor after we’re done raiding.” He swiped his raid pass and started picking Pokes for the battle.

“Hmmmph,” she sniffed. “Just try it.”

FINIS


End file.
